Chinese nationals doing business in India—or Indians who need to travel to China for factory visits, trade fairs or family reunions—will soon have to change the way they file their paperwork. In a notice published on 23 October, the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in New Delhi said the Chinese Visa Application Centre (VAC) in the capital will permanently stop accepting new applications after 5 p.m. on 23 October. From 26 October onward, all visa and consular-legalisation requests must be lodged directly with the Embassy in New Delhi or, in the case of residents of Maharashtra and Karnataka, at the Consulate-General in Mumbai. The move effectively scraps the outsourcing arrangement that has been in place since 2008. Beijing has been reviewing third-party visa centres worldwide amid data-security concerns and complaints about high service fees. The Embassy has therefore waived the VAC handling charge for any online application submitted after the 23 October cut-off, though government visa fees still apply; payments already made to the VAC will not be refunded. Jurisdictional rules have also been updated. Applicants from West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Chhattisgarh—who previously travelled to Kolkata—must now file in New Delhi until further notice. Industry groups say the change will especially affect exporters in eastern India who make frequent short trips to Guangdong’s manufacturing hub. Business-travel advisers are urging companies to revise travel calendars because Embassy slots are more limited than those at the VAC and biometric enrolment will be compulsory for most categories. Travellers should expect longer lead times (7–10 working days) until staffing levels are ramped up. Emergency applications (within 48 hours) will be accepted only for documented medical or humanitarian reasons. In practical terms, firms should: (1) complete China’s online visa form and upload documents before making an Embassy appointment; (2) schedule post-submission passport collection for 30 October or later; and (3) budget for courier costs if they are outside the National Capital Region. While the switch creates short-term pain, Chinese officials argue that processing in-house will reduce fraud and allow quicker policy adjustments—an important consideration with the Guangzhou Fair’s autumn session and the Shanghai import expo both around the corner.
Source: NDTV
